Chapter Three: Group Behavior

Contents:
3.1.1 Meaning and Definitions
3.1.2 Groups Vs Teams
3.1.3 Reasons for Group Formation
3.1.4 Forms of Groups
3.1.5 Differences between Formal and Informal Groups
3.1.6 Group Cohesiveness
 3.1 Groups:
3.1.1 Meaning and Definitions:

In general, a number of people together at a given place and given

time can be considered as a group.

A group is an association of two or more individuals who interact

with each other for a common purpose.

The study of groups in an organization contributes a lot to the

understanding of human behavior.

This is because of the fact that the behavior of individual’s in-groups

is something more than the sum total of each acting in his own way.

The groups have a powerful influence on the productivity of their

members.
A group is two or more persons who are interacting with
one another in such a manner that each person influences
and is influenced by each other person. - Shaw, & Marvin

A formal definition of group is that it refers to a collection

of two or more interacting individuals with a stable pattern
of relationships between them, who share common goals,
and who perceive themselves as being a group. – Robert &
Baron

A group is any number of people who share goals, often

communicate with one another over a period of time, and
are few enough so that each individual may communicate
with all the others, person-to-person. - Homans
 3.1.2 Groups Vs Teams:
S.No. Criteria Groups Teams

i. Work Performance Individual Members Collective Efforts

ii. Accountability & Responsibility Individual Individual & Mutual

iii. Commitment of goal Share Common Goals Collective & Synergistic

attainment

iv. Interference of Management More Less

v. Skills Diverse Complementary

i. Work Performance:
In groups work performance typically depends on the work of
individual members.
The performance of a team, however, depends on both individual
contributions and collective efforts of team members working in
concert.

ii. Accountability & Responsibility:

Members of groups usually do not take responsibility for any results
other than their own. In groups the supervisors hold individual
members accountable for their work,
In contrast, teams focus on both individual and mutual
accountability. Team members work together to produce an
outcome that represents their joint contributions, and each team
member shares responsibility for that outcome. In teams, members
hold themselves accountable.
iii. Commitment of goal attainment:
Group members may share a common goal, but team members
share a common commitment to purpose.

iv. Interference of Management:

Groups are required to be responsive to demands regularly
placed on them by management. In contrast, once
management established the mission for a team, and sets goals
for it to achieve, it gives the team enough freedom and
flexibility to do its job without any further interference.

v. Skills:
Members in a group posses skills diverse but the skills of team
members are complementary.
 3.1.3 Reasons for Group Formation:
i. Socialization: Man is a social being. He wants to socialize
with others. Being a member of as number of informal groups
allows him to satisfy his social needs on the job. He can
interact with others rather than working in isolated loneliness.

ii. Sense of identification: Many people have an urge to be

identified as members of a distinct group. So they form special
groups as cricket club, literary society, etc. This might also help
in increasing their status.

iii. Goal achievement: People form groups to pool talents,

knowledge, and resources to achieve a common goal or
interest. People doing a common task confront similar types of
problems. To remove such problems, they can constitute a
separate group.
iv. Monotonous Jobs: Workers performing routine jobs often
feel bored. In order to reduce their mental fatigue at work,
they may form informal groups and have interaction with each
other at the work place at frequent intervals.

v. Security: There is strength in numbers by joining a group; a

person can reduce the insecurity of standing alone. Groups
help the members to meet pressures effectively.

vi. Source of information: A piece of information available to a

member will reach nearly all the members of the group in a
short span of time.
vii. Sharing job knowledge: Group allows sharing job
knowledge and taking decisions, which affect a number of
jobs.

viii. Medium of change: Group can be used as a medium of

change. The group should be kept fully informed about the
need for change, plans for change and consequences of
change.

ix. Tool or media for obtaining the organizational goals: The

goals of the group should be set in such a manner that they are
in conformity with the organizational goals. The whole group
should be motivated and convinced about the need to achieve
the organizational goals.
 3.1.4 Forms of Groups:

Formal Groups & Informal Groups:

I. Formal Groups:

A group is formal when it is purposely designed to

accomplish an organizational objective or task.

A formal group is that which is deliberately created to

perform a specific task.

These are determined by a formal organization chart,

which describes the official lines of authority and
accountability.
1. Permanent and Temporary formal Groups:
Permanent formal groups are formed on permanent basis and
they exist till the organization exists e.g. Board of Directors,
Standing Committees.

Temporary formal groups perform a particular task on

temporary basis e.g. Study Groups.

2. Command and Task Groups:

Formal groups may also be sub-classified into command and
task groups.
i. Command Group:
The command group is composed of subordinates who report
directly to a given boss. A supervisor and the operative
employees reporting to him from a command group.
ii. The task group:
The task group represents those working together to
complete a given task.

The task is to carry on the operations. It can be further sub-

divided into team group, task group and technological
group.

In team group, no specific role is fixed to an individual.

In task group, job is prescribed to each individual.

In technological group, the job is prescribed and so is the

method & speed of the work. The members have no choice.
II. Informal Groups:
An informal group is that which arises out of interactions,
attractions, and needs of individuals.

An informal group arises on its own voluntarily and

spontaneously.
These are formed to satisfy social needs of the group
members. Each informal group has its own leader who is
elected among them.

Informal groups cuts through the formal organizational

structure.
It means people pertaining to different levels of authority come
closer to share information for the fulfillment of either
individual needs or group goals.
Different Kinds of Informal groups are:
1. Interest and Friendship groups:

i. Interest Group: An interest group consists of people

having a specific objective and not aligned to common
command or task groups.
For instance, employees who group together to pressurize
the management for subsidized transport constitute an
interest group.

ii. Friendship Group: Friendship group includes close

friends or relatives.
The group members know each other very well and have
good relations.
2. cliques:
A clique consists of those people who have frequent
interactions and observe certain norms and standards.

i. Vertical clique: It consists of people working in the same

department drawing membership regardless of ranks.

ii. Horizontal clique: It consists of people of more or less

same rank and working in the same unit.

iii. Mixed or random clique: Such a group draws members

from different ranks, departments, and physical locations
who come together for a common purpose.
 3.1.5 Differences between Formal and Informal Groups:
Characteristics Formal Groups Informal Groups
Origin It is deliberate and planned. It is voluntary and spontaneous.
Purpose It serves as means to formal ends. It provides social satisfaction.
Authority Authority is given by the institution. Authority is given by the people.
It is given to the position. It is given to a person.
Authority in formal groups is acquired through delegation from Authority in formal groups has to be earned from members of the
above. group.
As authority comes from superior to subordinate, it flows As authority is derived from peers, it flows horizontally or at
downwards. times, even upwards.
Status It is determined by position or responsibilities of the job. It depends on feelings and sentiments of the members.

Structure It is developed according to technical requirements. There is no design.

Communication system All messages pass through a chain of command. All messages pass through informal channels.

Behavior of members Behavior is regulated by rules and regulations intended to attain Behavior of members is regulated by norms, values, and beliefs of
rationality and efficiency. the group.
Sanctions of members Rewards and punishments are financial as well as non-financial. Rewards and punishments are mainly non-financial in terms of
feelings, status, and prestige.

Size Formal groups are quite large. Informal Groups tend to be small in order to be manageable.

Nature of groups It is stable and continues for a longer period. It is unstable.

Possibility of liquidation Formal groups can be abolished as they are subject to Any attempt to destroy a particular informal group may lead to
management control. formation of several other groups. They are the result of a natural
human desire to interact over which the management has no
control. Management cannot fire, as it does not hire them.

Number of groups The whole organization is divided into several units and sub- A large number of groups exists at all levels within the institution
units. and some even partially external to it. An individual may be a
member in a number of groups for different purposes. So there is
overlapping membership and multiplicity of groups.
 3.1.6 Group Cohesiveness:

The term cohesiveness is understood as the extent of liking

each member has towards others and how far everyone wants
to remain as a member of the group.
It is the degree to which members are attached to and
motivated to remain part of a group.
Members of the group feel highly attached to the group and
attracted towards each other. It refers to the degree of
camaraderie within the group. Cohesive groups are those in
which members are attached to each other and act as one
unit.
Members of highly cohesive groups are more energetic in
group activities, are less likely to be absent from group
meetings, are happy when the group succeeds, and sad when it
fails, and so on.
Factors, which influence group cohesiveness:
i. Individual’s Dependency on a Group: The greater an
individual’s dependence on the group for need satisfaction, the
greater the group attractiveness for him.

ii. Group Size: Group cohesiveness depends upon the size of

the group.
Larger the size of the group, the less cohesive the group is. It is
for this reason that generally, informal groups tend to be
smaller.

iii. Frequency of Interactions: Group cohesiveness depends

upon frequency of interactions among members.
If members are located in isolated places, interactions will be
less and group cohesiveness will be low.
iv. Member Turnover: More frequently members leave a
particular group, the more time a new member takes to get
attached to the group and hence, the less cohesive a group
becomes.

v. Intra group Competition: Group cohesiveness is low if

members are competing amongst themselves. If mutual
jealousies develop and they serve as roadblocks to each other
and consequently, the group is weakened.

vi. Inter group Competition: When two groups compete,

members of each group get united and the group gets
solidified. A policy of “united they stand and divided they fall”
prevails.
vii. Group Success: If a group wins in an inter group
competition, it gets further strengthened. If it loses, it gets
weakened and if members do not see any hope of revival of its
prestige, they leave the group at a time when it needs them
the most.

viii. Differentiation in Goals and Strategies: In case members

have different views regarding group goals or there exists an
incongruity between an individual member’s own goals and
the group goals, that is, the member does not see group goals
furthering his own goals and probably fears them obstructing
his individual goals, group cohesiveness will be low.
ix. Group Homogeneity: The more homogeneous the group,
that is, the more members share similar characteristics and
backgrounds, the greater the cohesiveness or vice-versa.

x. Group Maturity: When members continue interactions for a

long time, they develop a closeness born of shared experiences
and consequently, become more cohesive.

xi. Customs and Traditions: If members share the same

customs and traditions, they benefit from each other’s
knowledge and experience.
This commonness prevents the entry of others who do not
observe these customs and traditions to their fold and brings a
feeling to the members that they are different from others.
• Social Loafing
• Social loafing refers to the tendency of individuals to put in
less effort when working in a group context.
• This phenomenon, also known as the Ringelmann effect, was
first noted by French agricultural engineer Max Ringelmann
in 1913.
• In one study, he had people pull on a rope individually and in
groups.
• He found that as the number of people pulling increased, the
group’s total pulling force was less than the individual efforts
had been when measured alone.
• Rationales for this behavior include, “My own effort will have little
effect on the outcome,” “Others aren’t pulling their weight, so why
should I?” or “I don’t have much to contribute, but no one will
notice anyway.”
 3.2 Teams:

Contents:
3.2.1 Teams
3.2.2 Teamwork
3.2.3 Stages of Team Development
3.2.4 Types of teams
3.2.5 Team Effectiveness
3.2.6 Role of Team Leader
3.2.7 Encourage Teamwork on your Staff
 3.2.1Teams:
A team is a small number of employees with complementary
competencies (abilities, skills, and knowledge) who are
committed to common performance goals and working
relationships for which they hold themselves mutually
accountable.

A team is defined as a reasonable small group of people, who

bring to the table a set of complementary and appropriate
skills, and who hold themselves mutually accountable for
achieving a clear and identifiable set of goals.

When a team is formed, its members must have the right mix
of complementary competencies to achieve the team’s goals.
Also, its members need to be able to influence how they will
work together to accomplish those goals.
 3.2.2 Teamwork:

Individual employees perform operating tasks, but the vast

majority of them work in regular small groups where their
efforts must fit together like the pieces of a picture puzzle.
Where their work is interdependent, they act as a task
team and seek to develop a cooperative state called
teamwork.

In teamwork, team members actively working together in

such a way that all their respective skills are well utilized to
achieve a common purpose.
 3.2.3 Stages of Team Development:
1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning

1. Forming Stage: In the forming stage, team members often

focus on defining or understanding goals and developing
procedures for performing their tasks.
In the forming stage, the group comes together for the first time.
The members may already know each other or they may be total
strangers. In either case, there is a level of formality, some
anxiety, and a degree of guardedness as group members are not
sure what is going to happen next. “Will I be accepted? What will
my role be? Who has the power here?”
 Contd..
• These are some of the questions participants think
about during this stage of group formation.
Because of the large amount of uncertainty,
members tend to be polite, conflict avoidant, and
observant.
• They are trying to figure out the “rules of the
game” without being too vulnerable.
• At this point, they may also be quite excited and
optimistic about the task at hand, perhaps
experiencing a level of pride at being chosen to
join a particular group.
More Characteristics of Norming stage

i. Keep feelings to themselves until they know the situation.

ii. Act more secure than they actually feel.
iii. Experience confusion and uncertainty about what is
expected of them.
iv. Be nice and polite, or at least certainly not hostile.
v. Try to size up the personal benefits relative to the personal
costs of being involved with the team or group.
2. Storming Stage: During the storming stage, conflicts emerge
over work behaviors, relative priorities of goals, who is to be
responsible for what, and the task-related guidance and
direction of the leader.

Social behaviors are a mixture of expressions of hostility and

strong feelings.

Competition over the leadership role and conflict over goals

may dominate this state. Some members may withdraw or try
to isolate themselves from the emotional tension generated.

This stage may be shortened or mostly avoided if the members

use a team-building process from the beginning.
 As A team Leader to deal with Storming
• Avoid Getting Stuck in the Storming Phase!
• There are several steps you can take to avoid getting stuck in
the storming phase of group development. Try the following if
you feel the group process you are involved in is not
progressing:
• Normalize conflict. Let members know this is a natural phase
in the group-formation process.
• Be inclusive. Continue to make all members feel included and
invite all views into the room. Mention how diverse ideas and
opinions help foster creativity and innovation.
• Make sure everyone is heard.
• Facilitate heated/passionate discussions and help participants
understand each other.
• Support all group members. This is especially important for
those who feel more insecure.
• Remain positive. This is a key point to remember about the
group’s ability to accomplish its goal.
3. Norming Stage: This is Initial Integration stage
Work behaviors at the norming stage evolve into a sharing
of information, acceptance of different options, and
positive attempts to make decision that may require
compromise.

During this stage, team members set the rules by which

the team will operate.

Social behaviors focus on empathy, concern, and positive

expressions of feelings that lead to a sense of cohesion.

Cooperation and sense of shared responsibility develop

4. Performing Stage: During the performing stage, the
roles of individual members are accepted and under-
stood.

The members have learned when they should work

independently and when they should help each other.

Excessive self-oriented behaviors, development of norms

that inhibit effective and efficient task completion, poor
leadership, or other factors may hurt productivity.
5. Adjourning Stage: The termination of work behaviors
and disengagement from social behaviors occurs during
the adjourning stage.

Some teams, such as a problem-solving team or a cross

functional team created to investigate and report on a
specific issue within specific period (6 months), have well-
defined points of adjournment.
 3.2.4 Types of teams:

1. Functional Teams
2. Problem Solving Teams
3. Cross Functional Teams
4. Self- Managed Teams
5. Virtual Teams
6. Task Teams
7. Leadership Team
8. Employee Morale Team
9. Safety and Environmental Team
10. Employee Wellness Team
11. Culture and Communication Team
12. Focused Team
1. Functional Teams: Functional teams usually represent
individuals who work together daily on a cluster of
ongoing and interdependent tasks.

Functional teams often exist within functional

department-marketing, production, finance, auditing,
human resources, and the like.

Within the human resources department, one or more

functional teams could operate within the recruiting,
compensation, benefits, safety, training and development,
affirmative action, industrial relations and similar
functions.
2. Problem Solving Teams: Problem-solving teams focus
on specific issues in their areas of responsibility, develop
potential solutions, and often are empowered to take
action within defined limits. Such teams frequently
address quality or cost problems.

Managers delegate certain problems and decision-making

responsibilities to a team. This approach contrasts with
delegating specific tasks and authority to individuals.
3. Cross Functional Teams: Cross functional teams draw
members from several specialties or functions and deal
with problems that cut across departmental and functional
lines to achieve their goals.

They may design and introduce quality improvement

programs and new technology, meet with customers and
suppliers to improve inputs or outputs, and link separate
functions (e.g., marketing, finance, manufacturing, and
human resources) to increase product or service
innovations.
4. Self- Managed Teams: Self-managed teams normally consist
of employees who must work together effectively daily to
manufacture an entire product

These teams perform a variety of managerial tasks, such as:

i. Setting key team goals.
ii. Scheduling work and vacations by members.
iii. Rotating tasks and assignments among members.
iv. Ordering materials.
v. Deciding on team leadership (which can rotate among team
members).
vi. Budgeting.
vii. Hiring replacements for departing team members.
viii. Sometimes even evaluating one another’s performance.
5. Task Teams: Task Teams is a cooperative small group in
regular contact that is engaged in co-ordinated action.

When the members of a task team know their objectives

contribute responsibility and enthusiastically to the task, and
support one another, they are exhibiting teamwork.

6. Leadership Team: Leadership Team often an organization’s

senior managers or department heads, the leadership team
is the group that must pull together to lead the organization.

The leadership team plans, sets goals, provides guidance to,

and manages the organization.
7. Virtual Teams: In Virtual Teams a group of individuals
who collaborate through various information technologies
on one or more projects while being at two or more
locations.

Virtual teams use computer technology to the physically

dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Virtual teams allow people to collaborate online using

communication links wide-area networks, video
conferencing, or e-mail-whether they’re only a room away
or continents apart.
8. Employee Morale Team: Employee morale team plans
and carries out events and activities that build a positive
spirit among employees.

The team’s responsibilities can include activities such as

hosting employee lunches, planning company picnics, fund
raising for philanthropic causes like for ill employees.

The team leads the celebration of company milestones,

employee birthdays, and the arrival of new babies.

The team sponsors company sports teams.

9. Safety and Environmental Team: The team takes the lead in
safety training, monthly safety talks, and the auditing of
housekeeping, safety, and workplace organization.

The team provides recycling and environmental policy

recommendations and leadership as well.

10. Employee Wellness Team: Most popular activities include

walking clubs, running teams, and periodic testing of health
issues like high blood pressure screening.

The wellness team can sponsor whole person wellness activities

such as how to make a budget or lunch and learns about
investment products – not investment advice.
 Team Effectiveness:
i. Well-defined purpose or vision: Goals are aligned with the
team purpose and team members are empowered to accomplish
the goals.

ii. Team goals: Team goals are developed through a group process
of team interaction and agreement in which each team member
is willing to work toward achieving these goals.

iii. Challenging Goals: If goals are foggy or too easy to achieve

the team will not be motivated to make the extra effort that
separates a high performance team from an ineffective group.

When challenging goals are set the team will mobilize its effort to
find innovative ways to achieve feats that may have been
considered impossible.
iv. Team member resources: Team member resources
include talents, skills, knowledge, and experiences are fully
identified, recognized, and used whenever appropriate.

v. Role clarity: Team members can work together as a

team only after all the members of the group know the
roles of all the others with whom they will be interacting.

When this understanding exists, members can act

immediately as a team based on the requirements of that
situation, without waiting for someone to give an order.
vi. Supportive environment: Supportive environment
contribute to cooperation, trust, and compatibility,
supervisors need to develop an organizational culture that
builds these conditions.

vii. Team rewards: These may be financial, or they may be

in the form of recognition.

Innovative team rewards for responsible behavior may

include the authority to select new members of the team,
make recommendations regarding a new supervisor, or
propose discipline for team members.
viii. Positive approach: Team members should adopt positive
approach and commit to use their resources, knowledge and
skills to contribute to the goals of the team, alignment with the
team's overall purpose comes about.
This will not happen unless both the team leader and team
members choose to do so.

ix. Positive attitude: Team members have a positive attitude

toward change and are willing to accept and allow change to
occur as needed in order to accomplish desired results.

x. Supports: Team members verbally and publicly support

each other. They recognize that negative comments about
others tear the team down.
xi. Hard Work: The team must work hard. The team must be
able to develop appropriate approaches to problem solving.
This depends on developing a plan of attack and using
appropriate techniques for analysis.

xii. Motivation: The characteristics of the job should provide

motivation.
The job should require a variety of high-level skills to make it
interesting. It needs to be a whole piece of work with a clear
and visible outcome so that people can feel a sense of
ownership.

xiii. Patience: Team members understand that patience is

required, and that for some goals, a long-term
commitment is needed to accomplish the desired results.
xiv. Participation: Participation is actively shown by all team
members and roles are shared to facilitate the
accomplishment of tasks and feelings of group togetherness.

Team decision-making involves a process that encourages

active participation by all members.

xv. Problem solving: Problem solving, discussing team issues,

and critiquing team effectiveness are encouraged by all team
members.

xvi. Leadership: Leadership is distributed and shared among

team members and individuals willingly contribute their
resources as needed.
xvii. Conflict: Team members are allowed to express negative
feelings and confrontation within the team, which is managed
and dealt with by team members.
Dealing with and managing conflict is seen as a way to improve
team performance.

xviii. Strong feeling of control: A well-functioning team is that

the members have a strong feeling of control within the team.
They are able to establish priorities and then commit time and
resources for accomplishing these tasks.

xix. Risk taking and creativity: Risk taking and creativity are
encouraged. When mistakes are made, they are treated as a
source of learning rather than reasons for punishment.
xx. Desired results: Interests of both the team leader and
team members are focused on desired results rather than
on problem- solving activities.
If people learn to focus simultaneously on both the
current situation and the desired results, problems that
arise will be solved as part of the total process of achieving
the desired results.

xxi. Feedback: Feedback is asked for by members and

freely given as a way of evaluating the team's performance
and clarifying both feelings and interests of the team
members. When feedback is given it is done with a desire
to help the other person.
 3.2.6 Role of Team Leader:
i. Working climate: Try to create a working climate that is
formal and relaxed.

Before taking any decision consult your team members the

course of action to be taken.

You will be surprised to see that your team members will come
up with many brilliant ideas.

ii. Clear objective: Make sure that objective of your group or

the objectives that you have set to be achieved are clearly
defined and understood by members of your team.

Then only your team members would be able to contribute

their best.
iii. Overriding role: Do not allow one team member to
assume overriding role.

Your priority and importance to a particular member of

group create bias and irritation in the minds of others.

iv. Trust and faith: If you trust your

colleagues/subordinates, they will in turn trust their
superiors.

If you always suspect their motives and try to keep checks

on them, you might end up with a lot of disgruntled
employees who will only reciprocate your mistrust.
v. Approachable: You must not live in any ivory tower, i.e., in
an isolated world.

You must always be approachable and within reach of your

colleagues whenever they seek guidance and support.

vi. Open communication: Encourage open communication and

create atmosphere that fosters free expression of criticism and
disagreements.
Be generous with positive feedback. Job is well done, say so.

If situation so demands you can even reprimand your

subordinates for correcting the wrongs, but do remember that
people will be willing to take negative feedback only if we
appreciate their good points also.
vii. Personal rapport: You must have personal rapport with each one
of the employees.

Develop interest in your employee and listen to their problems,

needs and grievance.

Your interest in them will enable you to find the cause of

absenteeism, indifference, non-participation in work, etc.

viii. Delegate responsibility: Remember you are not the only person
having qualities of initiative and imagination.

Many of your subordinates may be quite capable. Make use of their

capabilities by utilizing them with responsible jobs.
A manager, who does not delegate, not only cripples himself but
also cripples others.
ix. Self-control: A secret of getting along with people
successfully is to exercise self-control.

A few words said in anger can create enormous damage.

First cool down, think rationally, and then take action.

x. Role model: You must set an example for others.

The way you talk, behave and conduct yourself, is being
watched all the times.

If you set a good example, your subordinate will also follow

suit.

Remember your action communicates more than your speech.

xi. Training and development:. You can do that by job
enlargement, job enrichment, providing status and perks
to sustain members committed to one group.

Create a climate for learning and do not hesitate to discuss

employees’ career prospects with them.

xii. Initiator: An employee will be what you expect him to

be.

If you expect him to be hard working, honest and

trustworthy, he will attempt to be all these and more.
 3.2.7 Encourage Teamwork on your Staff:

i. Publish group goals: Prepare a simple mission statement

for your staff. Outline common goals and explain why they
are important.

ii. Define roles: Avoid unnecessary rivalries by clearly

identifying each person’s role within the group.

iii. Sense of ownership: Use liberal doses of we and ours.

Give people a sense of ownership in what they are doing
as a group.
iv. Share information: Do not be a fact log. And don’t
share with only your key people, thinking they will pass
the information down the line. Talk directly to the troops.

v. Reinforce the team concept: When your staff has done

well, praise the entire effort without singling out
individuals.
…learning never ends
the journey of excellence
continues…

Thank You
 Chapter Four:
Leadership(Motivation, Communication and Leadership)
• Meaning and Definition of motivation
• Motivation refers to forces within an individual that account for
the level, direction, and persistence of effort expended at work.
• Motivation is the set of processes that move a person toward a
goal. Thus, motivated behaviors are voluntary choices controlled
by the individual employee.

• Motivation is to inspire people to work, individually or in groups in

the ways such as to produce best results. It is the will to act. It is
the willingness to exert high levels of effort towards organizational
goals, conditioned by the efforts and ability to satisfy some
individual need.
• It was once assumed that motivation had to be injected from
outside, but it is now understood that everyone is motivated by
several differing forces.
• Factors that affect work motivation include individual differences,
job characteristics, and organizational practices.
 Theories of Motivation
1. Content Theories
• The content approach emphasizes what motivates employees,
focuses on the assumption that individuals are motivated by the
desire to fulfill inner needs. Content theories focus on the needs
that motivate people.
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs identifies five levels of needs, which
are best seen as a hierarchy with the most basic need emerging first
and the most sophisticated need last. People move up the hierarchy
one level at a time.
• Level I - Physiological needs are the most basic human needs. They
include food, water, shelter and comfort. The organization helps to
satisfy employees' physiological needs by a paycheck.
Level II - Safety needs are the desires for security and stability, to
feel safe from harm. The organization helps to satisfy employees'
safety needs by benefits, job security.
•
Level III - Social needs are the desires for affiliation. They include
friendship and belonging. The organization helps to satisfy
employees' social needs through sports teams, parties, and
celebrations.
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• Level IV - Esteem needs are the desires for self-respect and
respect or recognition from others. The organization helps to
satisfy employees' esteem needs by matching the skills and
abilities of the employee to the job.
Level V - Self-actualization needs are the desires for self-
fulfillment and the realization of the individual's full potential.
Eg. challenging and rewarding jobs